Has policy improved Europe's air quality?http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/has-policy-improved-europe2019s-air-quality
In recent decades, the EU has introduced a range of policies to improve air quality by controlling pollutant emissions. A new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) evaluates three key instruments and finds that they have significantly improved Europe's air quality and reduced pollution-induced health effects. There is scope for even more progress, however, if countries achieve all their binding commitments to reduce emissions. Industrial combustion and road transport are major sources of air pollutants that cause significant harm to human health and the natural environment. Together, they account for around 50–66 % of total emissions of particulate matter, acidifying pollutants and ozone-forming gases.

A new EEA study 'Impact of selected policy measures on Europe's air quality' aims to provide an answer, analysing how much these policies have reduced air pollutant emissions and improved Europe's air quality compared to a 'no-policy scenario'. It also explores how much better air quality could be if the policies were fully applied.

Key findings

Road transport

Despite a 26 % increase in fuel use over the period 1990–2005, the introduction of the Euro vehicle standards has reduced road transport emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) by around 80 %, non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) by 68 %, nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 40 % and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) by 60 % compared to a no-policy scenario.

Due to lower emissions, concentrations of particulate matter over Europe have also been reduced far below the levels that would have been observed had no policies been in place. This is mainly the case for densely populated areas in western European countries. Such significant reductions have not been observed in eastern Europe.

Due to an overall decrease in the emissions of ozone precursors (CO, NMVOC, NOx), high daily ozone concentrations have become less frequent over most parts of Europe, especially in the Mediterranean region.

Industrial combustion

Current emissions of NOx and sulphur oxides (SOx) are significantly below the no-policy scenario. The reduction in particulate matter emissions from industrial combustion is more significant than from the road transport sector. The largest reductions have occurred in major industrialised areas such as Germany, Italy's Po Valley, the Netherlands and Poland.

Europe's air quality has improved significantly in terms of both acidifying pollutants (NOx, SOx) and fine particulate matter. Concentrations of both pollutants groups would be around twice as high if no measures had been implemented.

The potential of existing policies

Emissions could be reduced much further if the latest Euro vehicle standards were fully applied in all European countries. This would mostly affect NOx emissions from gasoline‑fuelled vehicles and direct PM2.5 emissions from diesel‑fuelled vehicles.

In many countries, NOx and SO2 emissions could be approximately halved if they were brought down to the requirements set out in the LCP legislation.

Concentrations of PM2.5, the pollutant of major concern in terms of health effects, would decrease in most areas if countries reduced emissions to the requirements set out in the LCP legislation. As emissions in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands are already largely consistent with the LCP requirements, high reduction potentials are mainly found in southern and eastern Europe.

]]>No publisherAir pollutant emissionsroad transportair qualityindustrial combustionintegrated pollution prevention and controlair pollutionhealthemissionsIPPCNational Emission Ceilings Directivepollutantspolicies2011/01/05 11:47:34 GMT+1NewsUrban environment — key message 4http://www.eea.europa.eu/soer/europe/urban-environment/key-messages/urban-environment-2014-message-4
Despite some improvements, European cities and their inhabitants will still face a number of important challenges in the future. They are highly vulnerable to many impacts of climate change such as heat waves, water scarcity, flooding, and related health problems, and will still need to cope with high transport loads, air quality problems, noise and loss of green areas. .
]]>No publisherSOER2010noiseair qualitygreen spaceclimate changeurban environmenttransport2010/11/28 18:40:00 GMT+1SOER 2010 Message (Deprecated)Urban environment — key message 1http://www.eea.europa.eu/soer/europe/urban-environment/key-messages/urban-environment-1
For the three-quarters of Europe's population that lives in cities and towns, a good urban environment is a precondition for a good quality of life. This quality of life depends inter alia on clean air and water, efficient transport, low noise levels and green spaces.

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]]>No publisherSOER2010noiseair qualityquality of lifegreen spaceurban environmentwater qualitytransport2010/11/28 18:40:00 GMT+1SOER 2010 Message (Deprecated)Air pollution — key message 5http://www.eea.europa.eu/soer/europe/air-pollution/key-messages/air-pollution-2014-message-5
As European emissions decrease, there is increasing recognition of the importance of inter-continental transport of air pollutants and its contribution to poor air quality in Europe. This contribution is particularly large for ozone, persistent organic pollutants, and mercury, and for particulate matter during air pollution episodes. Further international cooperation to mitigate inter-continental flows of air pollution will help nations meet their own goals and objectives for protecting public health and environmental quality..
]]>No publisherSOER2010air qualityglobal impactsair pollutionpollutants2010/11/26 10:36:18 GMT+1SOER 2010 Message (Deprecated)Urban environment - SOER 2010 thematic assessmenthttp://www.eea.europa.eu/soer/europe/urban-environment
The global population is congregating in our cities. Eighty per cent of the world’s estimated nine billion people in 2050 are expected to live in urban areas. Our cities and urban areas face many challenges from social to health to environmental. The impacts of cities and urban areas are felt in other regions which supply cities with food, water and energy and absorb pollution and waste. However, the proximity of people, businesses and services associated with the very word ‘city’ means that there are also huge opportunities. Indeed, well designed, well managed urban settings offer a key opportunity for sustainable living.No publisherclimate change impactstemperature increasewater qualityurban sprawlsocial inequalitiessoil sealingurban environmentwelfareeducationsoer2010air qualitygreen urban areasurbanisationgreen spacehousingdroughtshuman healthresource efficiencyincomepublic spaceenvironmental footprintwastewater quantityurbannoisethematic assessmentsquality of lifesustainable housingpublic healthtrafficheat wavessocial equitycitiesurban areaspopulationurban ecosystemsfloodssustainable developmentclimate change mitigationurban designclimate change adaptationconsumption patternsovercrowdingpollution2010/11/25 17:23:17 GMT+1PublicationEmission trends of acidifying pollutants (EEA member countries, EU-27)http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/emission-trends-of-acidifying-pollutants-eea-member-countries-eu
This chart shows past emission trends of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx) and ammonia (NH3) in the EEA-32 and EU-27 group of countries. In addition - for the EU-27 - the aggregated Member State 2010 emission ceilings for the respective pollutants are shownNo publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).air qualityair emissionscsiacidificationpollution2010/10/25 10:59:16 GMT+1FigureContributions by sector for emissions of acidifying pollutants (EEA member countries)http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/sector-split-of-emissions-of-acidifying-pollutants-eea-member-countries-eu-15-new-eu-12-other-eea-countries-efta-4-amp-cc3-1
The contribution made by different sectors to emissions of acidifying pollutantsNo publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).air qualityair emissionscsiacidificationpollution2010/10/25 10:59:22 GMT+1FigurePercentage of urban population resident in areas for days per year with ozone concentrations over the target value set for protection of human health, EEA member countries, 1997-2008http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/percentage-of-population-resident-in-urban-areas-potentially-exposed-to-o3-concentration-levels-over-the-long-term-objective-for-protection-of-human-health-eea-member-countries-1997
The target value is 120 µg O3/m³ as daily maximum of 8 hour mean, not to be exceeded more than 25 days per calendar year, averaged over three years. Over the years 1997-2008 the total population for which exposure estimates are made, increases from 49 to 114 million people due to an increasing number of monitoring stations reporting under the Exchange of Information Decision. Year-to-year variations in exposure classes are partly caused by the changes in spatial coverage. Only urban and sub-urban background monitoring stations have been included in the calculations. Data for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey are not included due to the geographical coverage of the Urban Audit and/or lack of air quality data.
No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).air qualityair pollutionozonecsi2010/10/11 15:53:22 GMT+1Figure26th highest maximum daily 8-hour mean ozone concentration observed at (sub)urban background stations, EEA member countries, 1997-2008http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/26th-highest-maximum-daily-8-hour-o3-concentration-averaged-through-available-urban-background-stations-eea-member-countries-1997
Only urban and sub-urban background monitoring stations have been included in the calculations. Data for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey are not included due to the geographical coverage of the Urban Audit and/or lack of air quality data.
No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).air qualityair pollutionozonecsi2010/10/11 15:53:32 GMT+1Figure36th highest 24-hour mean PM10 concentration observed at (sub)urban background stations, EEA member countries, 1997-2008http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/36th-highest-24-hour-pm10-concentration-averaged-through-available-urban-background-stations-eea-member-countries-1997
Only urban and sub-urban background monitoring stations have been included in the calculations. Data for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey are not included due to the geographical coverage of the Urban Audit and/or lack of air quality data.
No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).air qualitypm10air pollutioncsi2010/10/11 15:53:03 GMT+1FigurePercentage of urban population resident in areas for days per year with SO2 concentration exceeding daily limit value, EEA member countries, 1997-2008http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/percentage-of-population-resident-in-urban-areas-potentially-exposed-to-so2-concentration-levels-exceeding-the-daily-limit-value-eea-member-countries-1997-1
The limit value is 125 µg SO2/m³ as a daily mean, not to be exceeded more than three days in a year. Over the years 1997-2008 the total population for which exposure estimates are made, increases from 57 to 97 million people due to an increasing number of monitoring stations reporting under the Exchange of Information Decision. Year-to-year variations in exposure classes are partly caused by the changes in spatial coverage. Only urban and sub-urban background monitoring stations have been included in the calculations. Data for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey are not included due to the geographical coverage of the Urban Audit and/or lack of air quality data.
No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).csiair pollutionso2air quality2010/10/11 15:53:38 GMT+1Figure4th highest 24-hour mean SO2 concentration observed at (sub)urban stations, EEA member countries, 1997-2008http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/4th-highest-24-hour-so2-concentration-averaged-through-available-urban-background-stations-eea-member-countries-1997
Only urban and sub-urban background monitoring stations have been included in the calculations. Data for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey are not included due to the geographical coverage of the Urban Audit and/or lack of air quality data.
No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).csiair pollutionso2air quality2010/10/11 15:53:45 GMT+1FigurePercentage of population exposed to NO2 annual concentrations in urban areas, EEA member countries, 1997-2008http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/percentage-of-population-resident-in-urban-areas-potentially-exposed-to-no2-concentration-levels-exceeding-the-annual-limit-value-eea-member-countries-1997
The annual mean limit value is 40 µg NO2/m³. Over the years 1997-2008 the total population, for which exposure estimates are made, increased from 55 to 118 million people due to an increasing number of monitoring stations reporting air quality data under the Exchange of Information Decision. Year-to-year variations in exposure classes are partly caused by the changes in spatial coverage. Only urban and sub-urban background monitoring stations have been included in the calculations. Data for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey are not included due to the geographical coverage of the Urban Audit and/or lack of air quality data.
No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).csiair pollutionairair qualityno22010/10/11 15:53:09 GMT+1FigureAnnual mean NO2 concentration observed at (sub)urban background stations, EEA member countries, 1997-2008http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/annual-mean-no2-concentration-averaged-through-available-urban-background-stations-eea-member-countries-1997
Only urban and sub-urban background monitoring stations have been included in the calculations. Data for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey are not included due to the geographical coverage of the Urban Audit and/or lack of air quality data.No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).air qualityair pollutioncsino22010/10/11 15:53:15 GMT+1FigureParticulate matter (PM10) - Annual limit value for the protection of human healthhttp://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/particulate-matter-pm10-annual-limit-value-for-the-protection-of-human-health-2
-No publisherEEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV), European Environment Agency (EEA).particulate matterhuman healthair qualitypm10air quality zones2010/10/06 11:06:47 GMT+1Figure